Rick Larson – Grogg is a Glaswegian trio with a new EP out this month (Grogg II) that is decidedly not post-punk, but pure punk that is the son of rock and grandson of rhythm and blues. Genetic fingerprints of Muddy Waters, Motorhead and the Dead Kennedys smudge across the standout song ‘Bams.’ Why not make it a Grogg Summer?
You probably heard that Olivia Rodrigo released a new album. It didn’t immediately catch me like GUTS did but it gets more intriguing with each spin. One thing I love about Olivia Rodrigo–and I do love her, not in a weird way–is her embrace of her musical ancestors and her choice of supporting acts that can challenge her audience. I would have paid a handful of euros just to watch the fan reaction to Die Spitz in Paris. The best song on the new album is ‘expectations’ which sounds like a lost cut from Devo’s New Traditionalists. I could be accused of hearing what I want to hear, but I’m 100% sure she has listened to that classic album, perhaps several times. This is a woman who recently stated that Pinkerton might be her favorite album ever. Cheers to Olivia, long may she prosper.
Speaking of Weezer, they released a new single, ‘We Might As Well Be Strangers’ with guest Karly Hartzman. Weezer plus Wednesday? Sign me up! You can pretty much safely avoid any Weezer album from the last 24 years, but it doesn’t get too much better than the initial four album run of Blue, Pinkerton, Green, and the underrated Maladroit. This new song effectively scratches my lingering Weezer itch and I love that Hartzman’s voice is very close in timbre to Rivers Cuomo’s, but in a lower register. Who knew?
Finally, Osees (aka Thee Oh Sees etc.) released their thirtieth studio album of the century. The Bay Area psych punk legends, lords of the most unruly mosh pit I have experienced, lean heavily into the prog on this one. ‘THE BRUTE ON HIS KNEES’ sounds just like Procol Harum. If you don’t enjoy that, there are 29 other albums of theirs to listen to that don’t sound anything like it.
Fran Slater – it’s honestly hard for me to look beyond Laura Marling this month, as I’ve barely listened to anything else. This rabbit hole started because Sam, my fellow podcast host, put a playlist of her songs together for his final why I love as a full time member of Picky Bs.
Laura Marling has been an artist that us on the editing team have bonded over for years, so it was nice for him to bow out thus way and I think it makes for a cracking episode. As someone who has loved Laura for years, it was nice to be forced back into her company for a month. I even created my own playlist, meaning I listened to every thing she’s ever released over the last 30 days. What a catalogue. If you’re not already a Laura fan, you should be – get her in your ears.
James Spearing – June 2026 was the month I heard the news that I’d waited and hoped for (albeit with little expectation) that one of my favourite bands were coming back. New Young Pony Club have reformed and played a show at the Meltdown festival in London. I couldn’t be more ready for them to tour and despair how 20 years have somehow passed since I first heard their music yet be ready to go age appropriately wild down the front. They’ve even spoken of the possibility of new music. Time to dig out the Topman skinny jeans and fluoro top.
Rose Gray has a brand new pop banger ‘Club to Your Arms’ and sounds like it could be the track that will truly help her break through the door of mainstream success that she’s been knocking loudly on for a while now.
Tom Burrows – Boards of Canada albums are timeless, so I’ve taken a while to get into Inferno, their latest which dropped at the end of last month. I know full well that it will take months or even years to let its ethereal sounds fully absorb, but I’ve liked it on the first few listens. Interestingly it adds guitars to their mysterious sonic palette, and the effect is much more immediately satisfying than their previous record, 2013’s Tomorrow’s Harvest. Nobody does this better, as exemplified by the perfect needle drop of ‘The Word Becomes Flesh’ at the end of this month’s unusual psychological horror Backrooms. This could have been released in the 90s; their classics could have been released today.
I’ve also latterly got into Somewhere Good, the debut from Bristol band Tara Clerkin Trio. It’s hard to pin down a genre for what they do, but it’s a steady, rhythmic, almost meditative listen at times. ‘Lazy Daisy’ is my favourite so far. And I’ve been bumping Worst Girl In America, the January release from electropop sensation Slayyyter, when I need a pick-me-up. As I said in our big piece this month, I don’t know if I should like it, but I very much do.
Find more recommendations from our writers in our past monthly highlights.
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